Mental Health and Psychological

WellBeing of Middle and Late

Adolescence
The WHO constitution states: "Health is a
state of complete physical, mental and
social wellbeing and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity." An
important implication of this definition is that
mental health is more than just the absence
of mental disorders or disabilities
Mental health.
It’s the way your thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors affect your life. Good
mental health leads to positive self-
image and in-turn, satisfying
relationships with friends and others.
10 WAYS TO ENHANCE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
1. Connect with others
Having deep, meaningful
relationships helps mental
health. Build a rich social
network by flexing your
communication skills.
2. Keep your perspective
 Avoiding difficult emotions or keeping
feelings to yourself reduces well-being
Emotion processing involves being
open to experiences and accepting all
your feelings and thoughts, including
the difficult ones.
3. Develop positive habits
Positive psychology has introduced the
concept of ‘flourishing’. This is when
you enjoy positive emotions, healthy
relationships, meaning and purpose in
life, and a sense of accomplishment.
4. Live up to your values
Living a life consistent with your values
leads to improved well-being. Be aware
of your own values – of how you would
like to lead your life, behave towards
others, and treat yourself.
5. Be kind to yourself
Treat yourself with the same
kindness, concern and support
you’d show a good friend facing
struggles.
6. Improve your work-life balance
We all have many roles in life. You might
be a parent, a partner, an employee, a
student, a daughter, a son or a sibling. It is
easy to feel pulled between responsibilities
and it can be tempting to sacrifice important
parts of your life.
7. Laugh loud, laugh
often Laughter really is good medicine.
Humor that expresses positive emotion
and messages (rather than humor that
puts yourself or other people down), is
good for your mental health.
8. Look after your body
A good lifestyle supports mental
health. Research suggests that a diet
rich in fruit and vegetables, and regular
moderate exercise, boosts your well-
being.
9. Get enough sleep
Getting quality sleep, and enough of it,
is essential for physical and mental
health. Stress, worries, big life events,
changes to shift work or daily routines
and changes in home life can affect our
sleep.
10. Seek help when needed
There are many effective treatments
available for people experiencing mental
health difficulties. Psychologists have a
range of approaches that can help you with
difficulties you may face – and they are
backed by evidence.
SELF ESTEEM AND
BODY ESTEEM
Why Are Self-Esteem and
Body Image Important?
Self-esteem is all about
how much you feel you
are worth — and how
much you feel other
people value you.
Self-esteem is important because
feeling good about yourself can affect
your mental health and how you
behave. People with high self-esteem
know themselves well. They're realistic
and find friends that like and appreciate
them for who they are.
Body image is how you view your
physical self — including whether you
feel you are attractive and whether
others like your looks.
For many people, especially people in
their early teens, body image can be
closely linked to self-esteem.
 What Influences a
Person's Self-Esteem?
Puberty and Development
 Some people struggle with their self-esteem
and body image when they begin puberty
because it's a time when the body goes through
many changes.
These changes, combined with wanting to feel
accepted by our friends, means it can be
tempting to compare ourselves with others.
Media Images and Other Outside
Influences
Our tweens and early teens are a time
when we become more aware of
celebrities and media images — as well
as how other kids look and how we fit
in.
Families and School
Family life can sometimes influence
our body image. Some parents or
coaches might be too focused on
looking a certain way or "making
weight" for a sports team.
Common Eating
Disorders
1. Anorexia
People with anorexia have a real fear
of weight gain and a distorted view of
their body size and shape. As a result,
they eat very little and can become
dangerously underweight.
2. Bulimia
 Bulimia is similar to anorexia. With bulimia, people
might binge eat (eat to excess) and then try to
compensate in extreme ways, such as making
themselves throw up or exercising all the time, to
prevent weight gain. Over time, these steps can be
dangerous — both physically and emotionally. They
can also lead to compulsive behaviors (ones that are
hard to stop).
Although anorexia and bulimia
are very similar, people with
anorexia are usually very thin
and underweight, but those with
bulimia may be an average
weight or can be overweight.
MENTAL HEALTH
CHALLENGES
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
ADHD is pretty common and can make it hard to
focus and sit still. ADHD makes it hard to finish
things, and makes thoughts jump around. Kids
who have ADHD can learn to control their
thoughts and bodies by figuring out what helps
them focus, or by talking to a doctor or mental
health professional.
Anxiety (Panic Disorder)
Have you ever been really nervous? Maybe from a
test, a speech, or a big game? When you’re nervous,
your heart starts pounding, you breathe fast, or your
stomach might feel funny. Feeling anxious and
nervous is common. But a person diagnosed with an
Anxiety Disorder will have these feelings suddenly and
often. These strong, sudden feelings of stress or fear
are called “panic attacks.”
A panic attack can make your
chest or stomach hurt, your heart
speed up, make you feel afraid,
dizzy, or feel like you can’t breathe.
Even kids can have panic attacks.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorder changes
the way the brain understands the
world. People diagnosed with autism
can have a hard time talking about their
feelings, understanding people’s
actions, and being social.
Bi-Polar Disorder
Everybody has feelings that change. When
something good happens, you feel happy. If
something bad happens, you feel sad. Bi-
polar disorder changes the way people feel
emotions. If people have bi-polar disorder,
their emotions can go from happy to sad
very quickly.
Depression
Depression is a mental health
challenge that makes people feel
very sad all the time. It can change
how you think, feel, and act. It can
even make your body feel sick too.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
 Sometimes if you see or live through
something very scary, you can keep feeling
afraid even after the scary part is over. It is
normal to feel afraid sometimes, but people
with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) feel scared even if they are safe
and there is nothing to be afraid of.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia makes it hard for people to
know what is real and what is not real.
Schizophrenia can make the brain think it
sees or hears things that aren’t really there.
A person diagnosed with schizophrenia can
also start to think that people are trying to
control them or read their minds.
Questions:
1. Do you think he has a mental health
problem?
2. Is he in trouble?
3. What should you do?
4. Present things to do when someone you
know may harm himself /herself.